Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America., Part 119

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett
Number of Pages: 450

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America. > Part 119

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The services at the dedication were as follows : sermon by the Rev. Warren Fay, D. D., of Charlestown ; dedicatory prayer by the Rev. Thomas Il. Skinner, D. D., LL. D., of Andover Theological Seminary. The Rev. Milton Badger, of Andover, gave the Fellowship of the Churches.

In 1839, the meeting-house was enlarged to make room for twenty- eight pews, which, with those originally built, furnished seats for 350

persous. The church was at first very small and feeble, and was assisted by the Home Missionary Society, till about the year 1841 it became self-sustaining, and contributed liberally to benevolent objeets.

The first pastor was the Rev. Jesse Page, a graduate of Dartmouth College, 1831 (Andover Theological Seminary, 1835) ; ordained pas- tor of Evangelical Church at North Andover, Sept. 9, 1835 ; dismissed June 7, 1843. From there he removed to Atkinson, N. H., and became a stated supply in 1843.

The pulpit was supplied by the Rev. J. S. Young, the Rev. Homer Barrows, and the Rev. Calvin C. Park, up to Oct. 20, 1845. Then followed the installation of the Rev. William T. Briggs, who was the second pastor, a graduate of Oberlin Institute, 1844, and Theologieal Department of the same institution, 1844-45 ; licensed by the An- dover Theological Seminary in 1846 ; ordained pastor of the church at North Andover, Nov. 4, 1846; dismissed, May 1, 1855; installed at Princeton, Mass., 1856 ; at East Douglas, Mass., March 21, 1866.

The next pastor was the Rev. Levi Henry Cobb, son of Levi aud Calista S. (Bugbee ) Cobb, born at Cornish, Vt. , June 30, 1827. Gradu- ated at Dartmouth College, 1854 ( Andover Theological Seminary, 1857) ; ordained at North Andover, Oct. 28, 1857 ; dismissed, Oct. 3, 1864 ; superintendent of schools at Memphis, Tenn., 1864-65 ; In- structor of Natural Sciences and Latin in Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, N. II. . 1865-67 ; installed pastor at Springfield, Vt., May 2, 1867 ; dismissed, May 3, 1874, and now superintendent of Home Mis- sions at Minneapolis, Minn.

The Rev. Benjamin Franklin Hamilton was the fourth pastor. Grad- nate of Amherst College, 1861 ( Andover Theological Seminary, 1864) ; ordained at North Andover, June 28, 1865; dismissed, Sept. 13, 1871, and was installed colleague pastor with the Rev. A C. Thomp- son, D. D., at Boston Highlands, Nov. 9, 1871.

The Rev. Rufus Cushman Flagg was the next pastor, a graduate of Middlebury College, Vt. (Andover Theological Seminary ) ; installed pastor at North Andover, Sept. 26, 1872; dismissed, Oct. 31, 1877 ; commenced preaching at Westford, Mass., Nov. 18, 1877.

The Rev. George Pierce, the present pastor, was born in Marble- head, Mass., Sept. 20, 1833 ; fitted for college at Topsfield Academy, 1854-55; entered Dartmouth College, 1856; graduating in 1860; entered Andover Theological Seminary the same year, and graduated in 1863; ordained pastor of the Central Congregational Church in Dracut, Mass., Oct, 14, 1863; dismissed, May 6, 1867; installed at Paterson, N. J., June 5, 1867 ; dismissed, June 5, 1872 ; installed at Milford, N. H., Oct. 29, 1872 ; dismissed, July 23, 1878; installed pastor over the Evangelical Church, North Andover, Oct. 16, 1878. The installation services were held at two o'clock, P. M., as follows : Invocation by the Rev. George F. Wright, of Andover. Reading of the Scriptures by the Rev. Fred. Alvord, of Nashua, N. H. Prayer by the Rev. George H. Ide, of Lawrence, followed by Congregational singing. The sermon was preached by the Rev. G. R. Leavitt, of Cambridgeport, from Mic. ii. 13. The Rev. Charles Wetherby, of Nashua, offered the installing prayer ; and then an anthem. The Rev. John Williams, of Marblehead, gave the charge to the pastor, having for his text 1 Tim. iv. 16. The right hand of fellowship was extended by the Rev. John H. Barrows, of Lawrence, the Rev. C. D. Barrows, of Lowell, giving the charge to the people. The concluding prayer was offered by the Rev. James H. Merrill, of the West Parish, Andover ; then followed singing by the congregation, closing with benediction by the pastor.

The present church edifice is built of wood, in imitation of freestone, with a spire 160 feet from the ground. On entering the building we find on the first floor a large vestry, with two smaller rooms so constructed as to be made into one large room, for large assemblies. There is also a pastor's room adjoining, and rooms to be used for a kitchen, &c., for social gatherings. Ascending from the main entrance, on either side, stairs of easy grade, we find ourselves in a hallway, leading .either to the galleries or to the auditory. Here are situated 102 cir- enlar pews, neatly upholstered and cushioned, with black walnut trimmings. There are twenty more pews in the gallery, besides an organ, valued at $2,500, the gift to the society of Mrs. Harriet K. Davis. On the front of the gallery is a marble clock, directly opposite the pulpit, to mark the passing moments as they fly. The interior aspect of the house is exceedingly fine : the spacious floor, well-arranged slips, all uniform ; the small and neat black walnut pulpit, upon a semi-cirenlar platform slightly elevated from the floor; with the finely freseved walls and ceiling ; with the beautiful stained-glass windows, -are in perfect harmony with each other, and their design and uses ; and are well wrought, without a glaring effect. The design of this edifice is of the romanesque style, by John Stevens, of Boston. The

312

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

organ was built by E. & G. G. Hook, of Roxbury. The bell is from the foundry of Henry N. Hooper & Co., of Boston. The cost of the church, exclusive of the land, is about $30,000, paid by subscription ; $20,000 of which was generously contributed by the firm of Davis & Furbur, who also gave the large and airy lot upon which the building stands, and erected the fence surrounding the entire grounds, at an expense of $1,100 more.

The contributions of the above gentlemen were as follows : Dea. George L. Davis, $10,000 ; John A. Wiley, $5,000 ; and Joseph. M. Stone, $5,000.

The church was also the recipient of a valuable silver communion service, the gift of Miss Lavinia Farnham.

The present number of church members is 227. The Sabbath school was organized Sept. 7, 1834, and now numbers 270 members.

The following is a list of the deacons of the church from its organiza- tion : Jesse Pierce, elected May 4, 1837 ; died April 10, 1842. Aaron Henry, May 4, 1837, to Nov. 9, 1845. Jedediah Farnham, July 1, 1841 ; died Dec. 23, 1853. Albert Hervey, March 4, 1847 ; died April 18, 1852. Ralph H. Chandler, Ang. 30, 1850, to May 1, 1857 ; died Aug. 27, 1861. Stephen H. Parker, Nov. 4, 1852 ; died -. George L. Davis, Nov. 19, 1857. Ezra Clark, Joseph H. Stone, November, 1868, and John F. Kimball, are the present deacons.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church was commenced in 1845. Meetings were first held in the centre school-house. Preaching by the Rev. Stephen G. Hiler, who supplied the pulpit for three months. During that time the congregation increased from twenty to one hun- dred and fifty members. At the expiration of that time, Mr. Hiler was engaged for one year. A class was formed during the first year, and the following year a church was organized, with nineteen mem- bers, who worshipped in the school-house till October, 1849. A new house was erected in the fall and winter of that year, and was dedi- cated to the worship of God, March 6, 1850. The exercises on that occasion were : Prayer by the Rev. J. Shepard, of East Cambridge ; Sermon by the Rev. J. D. Bridge, of Boston. On the Saturday fol- lowing the dedication, the pews were sold for enough to pay for the building, within three hundred dollars. It is a neat, commodious church, and contains sittings for four hundred and fifty persons.

The following is a list of the pastors of the church since its organ- ization :-

The Rev. Stephen G. Hiler, August, 1845, to Angist, 1846 ; the Rev. James Dean, August, 1846, to November, 1847; the Rev. Wil- liam Pentecost, November, 1847, to April, 1850; the Rev. T. S. Cook, April, 1850, to May, 1851; the Rev. Ichabod Marcy, April, 1851, to April, 1853; the Rev. John C. Smith, April, 1853, to April, 1855 ; the Rev. William F. Lacount, April, 1855, to April, 1857; the Rev. Nathan A. Soule, April, 1857, to April, 1858 ; the Rev. Rodney Gage, April, 1858, to April, 1860; the Rev. George Southerland, April, 1860, to April, 1862 ; the Rev. William M. Hub- bard, April, 1862, to April, 1863 ; the Rev. John Middleton, April, 1863, to April, 1864; the Rev. George E. Chapman, April, 1864, to April, 1866 ; the Rev. Nathaniel Bemis, April, 1866, to April, 1868 ; the Rev. John S. Day, April, 1868, to April, 1871; the Rev. Linus Fish, April, 1871, to April, 1873; the Rev. Joseph W. Lewis, April, 1873. to April, 1875; the Rev. Burtis Judd, April, 1875, to April, 1876; the Rev. William P. Blackmer, the present pastor, April, 1876.

St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church : Preaching was first com- menced, in North Andover, in May, 1868, in Union Hall; and the corner-stone of a new church was laid, with appropriate ceremony, Oct. 11, 1868, which was dediented November. 1869.

The first pastor was the Rev. Michael J. Doherty, of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, of Lawrence, who supplied the pulpit each Sabbath. The next pastor was the Rev. William Orr, also from the same church. The Rev. James Murphy is now pastor of the church at South Lawrence and North Andover.

Biographical History .- The Rev. John Woodbridge was born in Stanton, Wiltshire, England. He was son of the Rev. John Wood- bridge, a non conformist minister. Entered at Oxford University for an education ; but, when the oath of conformity was required, he left, and pursued his studies privately. The ceremonies of the church being vigorously enforced, young Woodbridge, deeply imbued with the spirit of dissent, came to this country in 1634, in company with his uncle, the Rev. Thomas Parker, the well-known writer in favor of non-conformity. He first took up land at Newbury, and continued his studies till, on account of his father's death, he returned to Eng- land. Having finished the business for which he went to England, he returned to this country, bringing with him two brothers, one of

whom died on the passage. In 1641, he married Merey, danghter of Gov. Thomas and Dorothy Dudley, by whom he had twelve children, among whom were three sons in the ministry : John, at Killingworth and Wethersfield, Conn. ; Benjamin, who died at Medford, Mass. ; Timothy, who died at Hartford, Conn. Mr. Woodbridge was ordained as pastor of the "First Church," in Andover, October, 1645, being the first in the county, and second in New England. He continued to preach at this place till 1647, when he was solicited by his friends to return to England, where he was engaged as chaplain to the commis- sioners treating with the king at the Isle of Wight. Also for a while he.preached at Andover, England ; afterwards at Burford, in Wilt- shire, whence he was ejected soon after the restoration of Charles II., and was also engaged in a school at Newbury, England. and was thrown out of it by the Bartholomew Act. In 1663, he returned to New England, and soon after settled as an assistant to his aged uncle, the Rev. Thomas Parker, at Newbury, Mass. After several years, a difference arising on the subject of church diseipline, he was induced to resign. He was a highly esteemed preacher, - so much that, in 1684, he was invited to supply the pulpit of the Rev. John Richardson, at Newbury.

In 1683, he was chosen an assistant, and after the change in the government, he was appointed justice of the peace. His wife, with whom he had lived fifty years, died in July, 1691. He died, March 17,1695.

He sustained an excellent reputation, and his death was greatly lamented. He possessed a placid temper, and was a model of urban- ity in all his intercourse. He had great command of his passions, and could control himself with dignified composure in seenes of ex- treme provocation, and evinced the utmost magnanimity in the for- giveness of injuries. He was in a great measure proof against the depressing influence of worldly disappointments. When, on a cer- tain occasion, word was conveyed to him that he had suffered a great loss of property, he replied, " What a mercy it is that this is the first time that I have met with such a disaster !" He had been " remark- ably blest in his private estate." Cotton Mather says of him, " He was a great reader, a great scholar, a great Christian, and a pattern of goodness in all the successive stations wherein the Lord of hosts had placed him."

The Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge, D. D., brother of the Rev. John, who came to Andover with him, was the first graduate at Harvard College, and became the successor of the famous Dr. Twisse, of Newbury, England. He died November, 1684, aged 62.

The Rev. Franeis Dane was the second pastor of the First Church, who came to this country from England. in 1646, and to Andover about 1648. He received his theological education in this country. Hle was a useful and respected man, and peace attended his ministra- tions, and the cause of religion prospered during his residence in the town. "His salary was small and was paid in Indian corn and Wheat one half each, at current price." During the time of the delusion in 1692, it is said he expressed his sympathy and used his exertions for the relief of those of his parishioners who were imprisoned, by writing to the court, and signing a certificate in their favor. At the precise time of his closing his ministerial labors we have no dates, although we find he had a colleague in 1682. He died Feb. 17, 1697, aged 82, having been connected with the church forty-eight years. He left two sons, Nathaniel and Francis.

The Rev. Thomas Barnard, the third pastor, was the son of Francis Barnard, of Hadley. Graduated at Harvard College, 1679. In January, 1682, he was invited to settle as colleague with Mr. Dane in the ministry. The parsonage-house having been burned about 1707, he purchased the Gov. Bradstreet house. . It was during his ministry that the town was divided into two parishes, and, during all the long and warm altercation as to the location of the new meeting-house, he conducted with such prudence and affectionate fidelity 'as to retain the esteem and confidence of all his people. The Rev. Mr. Phillips, of the South Parish, says of him : "He was one of the best of men, and of ministers, an Israelite indeed, in whom was found no guile ; he had the tongue of the learned, and was a sound and eminent divine ; delivered excellent sermons, and had the spirit as well as the gift of prayer, was truly an able minister of the New Testament, and a faithful steward in the house of God. Naturally caring for his flock, he was therefore gentle as a father, yet maintaining government and discipline in the church, very compassionate to those in distress, and, like Saint Barnabas of old, was truly a son of consolation ; obliging towards all men, and always studied the things that make for peace. He was singularly prudent in his whole conduet ; also grave and instructive, and yet cheerful in conversation ; kind and tender as a

343

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

husband and parent, and faithful as a friend; meek and quiet in spirit, and clothed with humility." Mr. Barnard has been reckoned among the eminent ministers of New England. He died suddenly, Oct. 13, 1718, in the sixty-second year of his age, and the thirty- seventh of his ministry.

The Rev. John Barnard, the fourth pastor of this church, was the son of the last-mentioned Rev. Thomas Barnard. Born Feb. 26, 1690 ; graduated at Harvard College, 1709. During several years he taught the grammar school at Andover and the North Grammar School in Boston. Immediately upon the death of his father he was thought of as his successor, and, Dec. 16, 1718, he was invited to settle with them as their gospel minister. He preached his first sermon as pastor January, 1719, and was ordained April 8th fol- lowing. The services at his ordination were : Charge, by the Rev. Joseph Capen, of Topsfield; right hand of fellowship, by the Rev. Joseph Stevens, of Charlestown; sermon, by the Rev. Thomas Symmes, of Boxford ; the Rev. Samuel Phillips, of Andover, and the Rev. John Rogers, of Boxford, assisted in the prayers. Mr. Barnard was a good classical scholar, and, after his settlement in the ministry, he prepared many for college who became good scholars and useful men. His piety, gentleness, and pleasantry, his faith- fulness and assiduity in the discharge of ministerial duty, and the interest which he took in promoting the peace and improvement of his people, procured their love and confidence. As a preacher and counsellor in the churches, he was very highly respected. He lived in the most intimate relations with Mr. Phillips, of the South Parish, and they mntnally contributed to the order, peace, and harmony of the town. The people of the North Parish enjoyed the preach- ing of the father and son for seventy years, and were exceedingly prosperous. Mr. Barnard died June 14, 1758, aged 68 years. He left two sons, the Rev. Thomas Barnard, of Salem, and the Rev. Edward Barnard, of Haverhill; and one daughter, Sarah, the wife of the Rev. Dr. John Tucker, of Newbury, Mass. Mr. Barnard published a sermon at the ordination of the Rev. Timothy Walker, of Concord, N. II. ; funeral sermon on the death of Abiel Abbott, 1739 ; election sermon for 1746. Hle preached a convention sermon, 2 Cor. iv. 1. ; not published. He succeeded his father in the occu- pancy of the Gov. Bradstreet house.

The Rev. William Symmes, D. D., the fifth pastor, was born in Charlestown, Mass. ; graduated at Harvard College, 1750, where he was tutor from 1755 to 1758. Soon after the decease of the Rev. John Barnard, he commenced to preach in the North Parish, and, on the fifth day of December, 1757, he was invited to settle in the gospel ministry, and was ordained Nov. 1, 1758. The Rev. Nathan- iel Appleton, of Cambridge, gave the charge ; the Rev. Peter Clark, of Danvers, gave the right hand of fellowship; the Rev. Samuel Cooke, of West Cambridge, preached the sermon ; the Rev. Joseph Parsons, of Bradford, and the Rev. Seth Storer, of Watertown, assisted in the prayers. The time in which he was settled at North Andover was while the French war was going on, which seriously affected the masses and depreciated the currency and embarrassed those who were dependent upon small salaries. Notwithstanding this, however, Mr. Symmes, with a noble mind, braved it through, and generously relinquished one thousand dollars of the amount due to him froin the parish. During his ministry his people were remarkably united, and nothing but the most cordial friendship existed between himself and the Rev. Jonathan French, the minister of the South Parish. They exchanged labors regularly on every Sabbath, after the annual thanksgiving and fast days, and on other days; and a monthly lecture was kept up alternately in each parish, each supplying the other's pulpit. Dr. Symmes was a good scholar, of extensive reading, and an able divine. He devoted his whole time to his profession. Ilis sermons were written with great care and in a style remarkably neat, perspicuous, and correct. His preaching was plain and practi- cal. He was a strict observer of order and propriety. He was modest and diffident, hospitable and benevolent, and his urbanity rendered him very agrecable to strangers as well as to others. Ile was distinguished for his prudence and sound moral principles, his unshaken integrity and irreproachable conduct. In size, middling, and somewhat corpulent. When dressed, wore a white bush-wig, which was the fashion with clergymen of his day ; in manners, dignified but easy.

He received the degree of doctor of divinity from his alma mater. He died May 3, 1807, the Rev. Dr. Henry Cummings, of Billerica, preaching the sermon at his funeral, from 2 Cor. v. 1. His printed pub- lication's were a " Lecture on Psalmody," " A Thanksgiving Sermon, 1768," and a sermon at the general election, 1785. He also preached the Dudleian Leeture, 1786, which was not published ..

The Rev. Bailey Loring, the sixth pastor, was the son of William and Althea (Alden) Loring, of Duxbury, Mass. Born Dec. 10, 1786. Graduated at Brown University, 1807 ; studied theology with the Rev. Dr. John Allyn, of Duxbury ; ordained at North Parish, Andover, Sept. 19, 1810, and resigned March 1, 1849, on account of ill health. Ile married, Feb. 20, 1816, Sally Pickman, only danghter of Isane Osgood, Esq., of Andover. He died at North Andover, May, 1860. His children were :-

IIon. George Bailey Loring, born in North Andover Nov. 8, 1817 ; was fitted for college at Franklin Academy in that town ; graduated at Harvard University in 1838 ; received the degree of M. D. at Harvard Medical College in 1842 ; was appointed surgeon of the Marine Hos- pital at Chelsea, Mass., in 1843; was surgeon of the Seventh Regi- ment, M. V. M., in 1842, 1843, and 1844; was appointed postmaster of Salem, Mass., in 1853 ; member of Massachusetts House of Rep- resentatives in 1866 and 1867 ; president of the Massachusetts Senate in 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1876; delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1868, 1872, and 1876; was appointed United States centennial commissioner for Massachusetts in 1872; and was elected to the Forty-Fifth Congress as a Republican, and is now a member of that body. He married Mary Toppan Pickman, of Salem, who died at Salem, Dec. 1, 1878, leaving one daughter, Sally Pickman Loring. He resides at Salem.

Isaac Osgood Loring, born June 20, 1819; married, first, Ellen Maria King, daughter of Hon. Daniel P. King, of Danvers ; second, Caroline W. King, sister to the first wife. He died Oct. 2, 1867.

Gayton Pickman Loring, born Nov. 22, 1822. Married Sarah Pickman King, daughter of Hon. Daniel P. King, of Danvers.

John Alden Loring, born Aug. 16, 1824, an attorney and coun- sellor-at-law. Resident of Boston.

The Rev. Francis C. Williams, the seventh pastor, graduated at Harvard College, 1843; ordained at North Andover, Feb. 27, 1850, and dismissed May 27, 1856, and settled at Hyde Park, Mass., 1869.

The Rev. Charles C. Vinal, the eighth pastor, graduated at Har- vard College, 1852; ordained at North Andover, May 6, 1857; dismissed March, 1870, and settled at Kennebunk, Me., 1870. .

The Rev. John Herbert Clifford, the present pastor, graduated at Cambridge Divinity School July 1871, and was ordained the same year.

Among the most prominent in the list of the early settlers in Ando- ver is Simon Bradstreet. He was the son of a non-conformist minis- ter, born in Horbling, Lincolnshire, England, March, 1603, Ilis father died when he was at the age of fourteen years. He was then committed to the care of Hon. Thomas Dudley, passed one year at Emanuel College, Cambridge, and pursued his studies amid various interruptions. Leaving Cambridge, he soon after became steward in the family of the Earl of Lincoln, and afterwards oceupied the same position in the family of the Countess of Warwick. After his mar- riage with Anne, daughter of Mr. Dudley, he cugaged to assist in the formation of a settlement in Massachusetts. He was chosen Assistant of the Colony, March, 1630, and immediately embarked for America, March 29, 1630, and arrived at (Naumkeag) Salem June 12 of the

same year. He was present at the first Court, held August 23, at Charlestown, and took part in the proceedings. In 1631 he con- menced founding a settlement at Newtown (Cambridge), and was a prominent citizen of that town, and was one of the first board of selectmen, or townsmen, of that town. About the time of Hooker's departure to Hartford he removed to Ipswich, where he resided a short time. In 1639 the Court granted him five hundred aeres of land, near Gov. Endicott's farm, in Salem. He was first secretary of the Colony, and discharged those duties for several years. He was also one of the first commissioners of the United Colonies, in 1643, and served for many years with fidelity and usefulness. In 1653 he vigorously and successfully opposed making war on the Dutch in New York and the Indians, though it was strongly urged by all the commissioners of the other Colonies. In 1662 he was sent as agent, with Mr. Norton, to congratulate Charles the Second on his restoration, and to act as agent for the Colony. He was elected dep- uty-governor in 1672, and continued in that office till 1679, when he was elected governor, which office he retained till the appointment of his nephew, Mr. Joseph Dudley, in 1686, when the charter was annulled. After the imprisonment of Andros, he was again appointed governor, in May, 1689, which position he held till the arrival of Sir William Phipps, in May, 1692, with a charter which deprived the people of the privilege of choosing their own chief magistrate. He was in the service of the government sixty-two years, except during the admin-

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America., Part 119

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett Number of Pages: 450

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett
Number of Pages: 450